Electrical circuitry installation in buildings is a time consuming task. In a typical installation, an electrician attaches junction boxes to exposed wall studs at predetermined locations throughout the building. Wires carrying electrical power are then routed and interconnected between the circuit breaker panel and the individual junction boxes. At the junction box, the power wires are usually capped with a wire nut for safety reasons and then left for later connection to utility modules such as switches and receptacles. Next, municipal authorities inspect the installation to ensure applicable codes and requirements are being met. Once approved, drywalls are attached to the studs and openings in the wall are provided to allow access to the junction boxes. The electrician then resumes work and installs utility modules in each of the junction boxes by attaching the power wires directly to the utility module. Lastly, a cover plate is attached to the junction box to complete the installation.
Installation of the utility module in the above-described manner presents a number of problems. Not only is the electrician's job time consuming and labor intensive, the electrician is also exposed to the hazards associated with handling potentially live electrical power wiring. The electrical installation is also prone to error. For example, if the junction box is not properly positioned on the wall stud (i.e, positioned too far forward or back), the front of the utility module may not be flush with the drywall when it is attached to the junction box. This error is very difficult to correct because at the point when the utility module is installed, the drywall has already been put in place. In order to access the junction box for re-positioning on the stud, a section of the drywall must be removed. Thus, it can be seen that installation of junction boxes and their utility modules can be unforgiving if the junction box is not properly mounted to the wall stud.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved electrical junction system that eliminates or improves upon one or more problems with conventional systems.